Premier League giants Manchester United recently confirmed the arrival of club legend and football icon Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club after 12 years. Ronaldo will be returning to United for the first time since leaving Old Trafford in 2009 after terminating his contract with Juventus.
Ronaldo, who is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, enjoys staggering popularity across the globe and is one of the most followed athletes on Instagram. While his return to Manchester United has sent the fans of the club in a frenzy, the move also broke the internet after it was confirmed by the Red Devils last week.
The Instagram post by United announcing Ronaldo’s comeback to the Premier League has since garnered over 12 million likes and counting. With over 12 million likes, it has become the most-liked post on Instagram by a sports team. While Ronaldo has a stunning 335 million followers on Instagram, United, one of the most famous clubs in the world has over 45 million followers.
The Ronaldo announcement post from United has surpassed Paris Saint Germain’s Lionel Messi announcement video which had garnered over seven million likes. However, United’s post on Ronaldo still doesn’t feature in the top five most popular sports photos on Instagram despite being the most-liked post by a sports team in the world.
Lionel Messi’s photo with the Copa America trophy after winning his first major international title with Argentina earlier this year had attracted 21,936,444 likes so far and is the most liked sports photo on the social media platform. With 19,878,856 likes, Ronaldo’s tribute post for Argentine legend Diego Maradona after his death in November last year is the second most-liked sports photo on Instagram after Messi’s.
Ronaldo, who spent six seasons at United from 2003 to 2009 had left the club after transforming from a prodigy to a world-beater and will now be returning as one of the greatest of all time. His arrival is certain to lift United’s spirits across competitions and make them one of the strongest teams in the world at present.
